April 29, 2016
Centenary Managed the Fifth Annual Sports Management Conference
The keynote speaker was Murray Cohn, President at MC Sports Sales, Training, and Consulting, Inc., a business that is designed to help drive revenue for clients by helping them with overall planning and strategy, sales training, recruiting and sharing the best practices. His clients include a number of NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL and MLS teams and several Division I colleges. Prior to starting this company, Cohn served for eleven years with the NBA; most recently, he was the NBA’s Vice President of Team Ticket Sales in the NBA’s Team Marketing Business Operations Group. Cohn is considered by many as a “Group Sales Guru,” and his “Five Step Group Sales Process” philosophy has been published in many Sports Management textbooks and recognized in the Sports Business Journal as well.
Cohn’s talk focused on characteristics needed to succeed in the business and how it is important to stand out and be memorable. In addition, being coachable and demonstrating that one can add value is essential in breaking into and maintaining a successful career in Sports Management.
Panels for the Conference included Public Relations and Sports Media, Marketing and Analytics, Facility and Event Management, Grassroots, and Sales and Sponsorships. In addition, there were three round table discussions with various Sports Management professionals about the field.
Over 100 individuals attended this conference, including students from William Patterson University, Seton Hall University, St. Peter’s University, Lock Haven University and Dominican University. Nine alumni who now serve as Sports Managements professionals attended to participant as panelists and roundtable experts. Professor Perricone stated how the alumni are also supporting the program and are excited to come back to Centenary to help the underclassmen.
“I am so pleased that I was able to give back to my alma mater in this capacity,” says Arden Wright, a 2013 graduate of Centenary University and Account Manager of VIP Services for Brooklyn Nets; she was also a Sales and Sponsorship panelist and roundtable expert at the event. “The instruction and experience that I received from Centenary University was instrumental in the success that I have achieved today. I love this institution and I want current students to have access to the information and opportunity possibilities that had been made available to me. That is why this Conference is so valuable to those who participate.”
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.
Centenary University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in two locations: Parsippany, Edison, online and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey. The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad opportunities.